Milaine Theriault is the "hero" in Atlantic Canada for young cross-country skiers. As a member of Canada`s Olympic Team competing in the 1998 Nagano Games, the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and the 2006 Turino Games, Milaine has been the one and only Nordic skier from Atlantic Canada to represent Canada at the Olympic Games.
The Milaine Theriault Awards consist of 4 awards, created to reflect the person and character of Milaine Theriault, to be awarded to cross country ski athletes from Atlantic Canada, who are trying their best to be their best!
The first two awards, for year-round spring-summer-fall-winter training, were awarded at the Atlantic Summer Training Camps:
#1: Most Improved Athlete Award = improvements with "RESULTS" in:
a) Provincial, Atlantic and Canadian Championships Races and the Canadian Points List;
b) spring-summer-fall testing at Atlantic Training Camps in cross country running race results & the National Strength Test;
***these athletes must be following a training program and keep a quality training journal.
PIERRE WHITE wins the Most Improved Athlete Award! Pierre is a young New Brunswick skier who has been self motivated, dedicated and very disciplined in his training in cross-country skiing. He is a former Jackrabbit who joined the Bathurst Snow Bears racing team only two summers ago, and, he has been progressively improving ever since. After completing only one season, Pierre qualified for the New Brunswick Provincial Team in 2005. He became the Junior Boy Aggregate Winner at the 2006 Atlantic Championship and New Brunswick Provincial Championships. Comparing his results between the 2005 and 2006 Atlantic training Camps, Pierre has improved his overall performance by finishing a significant 7% faster in our cross-country running race! And, he scored an impressive increase in every discipline for the National Strength Test for an overall increase of 19%. Pierre participated in his first National Championships this past season, and, he is now training to qualify for the 2007 New Brunswick Canada Winter Games Team. Pierre has learned to live the Elite Athlete Lifestyle, and, he is an important role model for young skiers in Atlantic Canada who want to improve. Congratulations Pierre on a job well done!!!
#2: Best Positive Attitude Award = to be voted on by all of the athletes at the Atlantic Training Camps. Criteria = Positive attitude toward: other athletes, coaches, parents, self, school, community, the athlete-lifestyle, cross country ski training & racing.
JENNNIE MAE ROY & BENJAMIN ROY win the Best Positive Attitude Award! This sister & brother team from Nova Scotia's Arctic Fox Ski Club have the same positive outlook on life = very uplifting, selfless and encouraging to others. Because of their positive character traits, athletes from all 4 Atlantic Provinces voted for them to receive this award. The result vote was a tie so we decided to give them each an award, because they are both deserving of recognition. This is an example of how positive they are: there was NO SNOW for cross-country skiing in most of Nova Scotia last winter and they are both still enthusiastic about skiing! At our Atlantic Training Camp, they both had initiative to spare by taking on the tasks of helping out for meals and cleaning up afterwards. Benjamin & Jennie Mae made everyone feel at home with their Nova Scotia friendliness by fitting right in with all the athletes & coaches from the rest of the Atlantic Provinces. It is a coach's dream to coach athletes like Jennie Mae & Benjamin who are always happy, always sharing the smile on their faces, and never showing any type of negative energy or complaints. They are excellent ambassadors for Nova Scotia and you will see their smiling faces as members of the 2007 Nova Scotia Canada Winter Games Team. Congratulations to Jennie Mae & Benjamin.
